


Remnants

by ladyannabethstark



Category: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Angst with a Happy Ending, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-23
Updated: 2017-01-26
Packaged: 2018-09-19 12:14:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,319
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9439982
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ladyannabethstark/pseuds/ladyannabethstark
Summary: In the aftermath of Scarif, Jyn is in a perpetual state of waiting. With Cassian in a coma, she doesn't take the offer of freedom, instead staying to work odd jobs around the base. As she copes with everything she's lost, and what she hopes to get back, she tries to find a way to share her burden rather than shut herself away.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Someone on tumblr requested that I write a fic with the original trio so this is my attempt at that. They'll be sprinkled throughout the story, along with Chirrut, Baze, Bodhi, and K2, but the focus will be on Jyn and Cassian.

Eleven days. Eleven days since Jyn had seen Cassian’s eyes. Eleven days since she held him close to her and he whispered her name as they flew away from Scarif. Eleven days since a healer told her that he’d slipped into a comatose state and they had no idea when he would wake up, if he would wake up. Adrenaline helped him climb that tower to help her see the mission through but the damage was already done. They got the brain swelling down with oxygen therapy and medication but there was no telling what damage was done. They would just have to wait and Jyn had never been good at that. The day after they returned from Scarif, she was released from the infirmary and found herself in Cassian’s room staring at his pale face. The sight of his unmoving form struck something deep in her chest that nearly sent her to her knees. Jyn didn’t even know when Chirrut entered the room, only that he’d been sitting with a concussed Baze when she passed them earlier. When he moved to stand beside her, she didn’t react when he took her hand. They stood in silence for a long time, watching the gentle rise and fall of Cassian’s chest until she finally spoke.

“Tell me that he’ll wake up,” she said quietly, nearly begging him for reassurance.

Chirrut didn’t answer for a long few moments.

“The Force is strong in him,” was all he said.

It wasn’t enough. _Trust the Force_ , her mother told her. Jyn had seen so much and been through so much that it was hard to believe in anything that she couldn’t see. There were very few things that she did have faith or trust in. Cassian was one of them. But she couldn’t see him like this. Not right now. Reaching out, she let her hand linger on his cheek. Then Jyn pulled her hand from Chirrut’s and patted him on the shoulder before walking out with a destination in mind. She didn’t bother announcing herself or asking for permission before entering the council chamber and marching straight up to General Draven. He turned, looking down at her with a carefully blank face. Jyn stared back up at him with a defiant look.

“Give me something to do,” she finally said, not bothering with titles or respect.

The man who ordered her father’s death didn’t deserve it. And he did owe her, whether he believed it or not. Jyn would not forget what he did and if she had it her way, he wouldn’t either. To her surprise, his cold look faltered slightly and she saw something like understanding in his eyes. Then he looked Mon Mothma’s way and Jyn did the same.

“We have many ships in need of repair,” she said, looking at Jyn with sympathy.

“I have experience with that sort of thing,” Jyn said, recalling how Saw would push his entire cadre to train in many skills.

With that, she turned around to walk back out. Before she could, General Draven finally spoke up behind her.

“I’ll make sure that someone informs you if Captain Andor’s condition changes,” he said.

Jyn stopped in the doorway but she didn’t turn around to look at him. After a stiff nod that she knew he could see, she continued on. That was how she found herself lying on her back beneath and X-wing days later, half-covered in grease and elbow deep in repairs. It was early in the day, too early for anyone else to be doing any sort of work, but Jyn was never an easy sleeper. When she heard footsteps, she assumed that it was the man in charge of overseeing the repairs and replaced the panel before sliding out from beneath the ship. Instead of the man she expected, her eyes fell on a man younger than her with sandy blonde hair falling in his eyes. He was circling an X-wing with an inquisitive look. Jyn knew exactly who he was even though she hadn’t been at the awards ceremony. An R2 unit was trailing him, beeping at regular intervals even though she was fairly certain the man couldn’t understand him.

“Is it yours?” she asked, wiping her hands on a towel.

He turned around, looking surprised that anyone else was there.

“I think so,” Luke Skywalker said, scratching his head as he looked up at the ship. “They assigned me a new one yesterday.”

“Does it need repairs?”

He shrugged, looking back at her.

“If it does, I can do it,” Luke said, sounding as though he didn’t want to put her out.

“It’s my job,” Jyn told him.

He stared at her for several moments, a look coming over his face that was familiar to her. Jyn could hardly walk around without hearing whispers follow her and seeing expressions of wonder as they treated her like she was a walking legend. Jyn hated it.

“I know who you are,” Luke said, much to her annoyance.

“Everyone does,” she said, turning away. “I’m sure you know the feeling.”

“None of us could have done what we did if it wasn’t for your squad,” Luke said, following her. “I would’ve thought they’d find a better job for you than this. You’re a hero.”

Jyn didn’t say anything, bending down to pick up her scattered tools. It wasn’t the first time she’d heard such a thing. Mon Mothma called her a hero when she refused a medal. Bodhi, Chirrut, and Baze all did the same. Even if they weren’t reluctant to accept acknowledgment, it would have felt wrong without Cassian.

“I asked for it,” she said, looking up at him. “I needed something to do.”

He stared at her for a while.

“You can’t stop thinking about them. All the people that died,” Luke said.

Jyn straightened up, nodding once.

“My aunt and uncle were killed by stormtroopers. They were looking for the Death Star plans.”

She didn’t say anything because she didn’t know anything about that.

“We’ve all lost people,” Jyn said, hoping that he wouldn’t ask her about all that she’d lost.

She really hoped he didn’t ask her what it was like to see the fallen rebels who came on the mission because they wanted to fight for what they believed in. She couldn’t protect any of them from their fate. She was useless then and she felt useless now with Cassian in his current state. Jyn couldn’t do anything about it, just like Luke couldn’t save his aunt and uncle.

“Well I’ll leave you to it,” he said, turning away.

She watched him go before turning back to the ship, wondering if she’d ever find the peace that Luke seemed to have in spades. As she crouched down to keep working, she heard him speak up again.

“I hope that Captain Andor wakes up,” Luke said, standing far away but looking right at her. “I want to meet him.”

Jyn didn’t really know how to respond. Her chest tightened as she thought of him lying in that bed.

“He’d want to meet you too,” she managed to say, knowing that it was true.

Luke gave her a smile and a nod before walking out, leaving her alone with her thoughts. As she settled down for a long day of work, Jyn realized that she felt a little less heavy than she did before. While he was probably the friendliest person she’d ever met, it seemed that Luke was also very easy to talk to. Deep inside, she felt the faintest hope that she may come across him again.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jyn has a hard time sleeping and takes a late night walk only to come across someone else who can't sleep.

Cassian was falling. Jyn’s shout of his name echoed around them but did nothing to help. With an outstretched hand that she knew would never reach him, Jyn watched him hit every beam with sickening cracks that made her heart drop more and more. It seemed like the longer she watched, frozen in place, the further she got away from him. Cruel laughter filled the air. Jyn knew that it belonged to the man who orphaned her. As Cassian fell further and further, never stopping, she closed her eyes and let go, falling through blackness as that laugh grew louder and louder. Jyn jerked awake, tangled in her sheets with sweat cooling uncomfortable on her skin. It took her a minute to orient herself in the small space that the Alliance assigned to her. Sitting up, she shoved the blankets away and took a deep breath, running her hand through her tangled hair. She knew that it was a dream. Jyn was far too familiar with nightmares, especially in the aftermath of Scarif. She also knew that there was no way she’d be getting back to sleep now.

Slipping out of bed, she yanked a pair of pants on and pulled a sweater over her head before shoving on her boots. Once she had her hair tied up out of her face, she slipped out of her quarters and into the nearly dark, empty hallway. There were parts of the base that were more active at night. The infirmary wasn’t one of them. As she quietly stepped into the intensive care unit, no one stopped her. They were used to her visits. Cassian still looked too still. As she sat beside him, Jyn let her eyes linger on the machines that tracked how he was doing as if she could understand a single one. It didn’t bring her much comfort but it gave her something to do. After a while, she finally let her eyes move to his face. His cuts and bruises were mostly healed. He almost looked completely healthy. But he still wouldn’t wake up. Very gently, Jyn picked up his hand in both of hers.

“You’re alive,” she said, assuring herself more than him. “You survived. You can wake up.”

The room stayed silent around her. Jyn dropped her head to Cassian’s chest, letting his breaths control her own. She stayed like that for a long time. Late nights like this were the only time that she would visit. Jyn needed to be alone. Once she stood up, she released his hand and brushed his hair away from his face.

“Tomorrow,” Jyn promised him.

Once she left the infirmary, she found herself wandering the halls of the base. The guards used to be startled when they came across her but now they just nodded understanding without saying a word. When she saw a light from the cantina that was usually locked up tight at night, she gave into her curiosity and peeked into the room. Sitting at one of the tables was the last person that she expected to see.

“No one really ever knows that I’m here,” Leia Organa said, sensing that someone was there without even looking. “If they do, they don’t stop me.”

When she finally looked up, she almost seemed surprised as recognition sparked in her eyes.

“I’ll leave you alone,” Jyn said, turning away.

“Don’t,” the princess said, calling to her. “You can stay.”

Slowly turning back, she started to tell her that she never intended to stay. Instead Jyn took slow steps into the cantina, grabbed a clean glass from the bar, and sat at the same table as Leia. The other woman looked as tired and run down as she felt. While Jyn was three weeks out from Scarif, Leia had seen her home planet blown to pieces not too long ago. It definitely called for certain coping mechanisms in her opinion.

“You can’t sleep either,” Leia said.

It wasn’t a question. Jyn simply shrugged in response.

“I’m used to it,” she said, watching as Leia filled her glass.

Leia nodded before taking a long drink.

“I can’t stop dreaming about my childhood. My family.” she said.

Jyn stared at her for several long moments that almost turned uncomfortable before she spoke. There was some part of her that would always balk at sharing parts of herself with other people. But Leia wasn’t a pampered princess who lived in the lap of luxury and couldn’t possibly understand suffering. Just like with Cassian and Bodhi and Baze and Chirrut, Jyn sensed a kindred spirit in her. Someone who had lost everything but was still standing.

“That happens to me as well,” Jyn said.

Leia looked up at her, an unidentifiable look in her eyes.

“A lot of my memories are faded but there are some. My mother telling me stories about all her adventures. She was everything that I wanted to be. And my father… he always played with me no matter what. He had an incredible imagination.”

_I’ve so much to tell you._

Jyn stared at a spot over Leia’s shoulder, her father’s last words lingering in her mind. She realized far too late that bringing up her father in this situation wasn’t a good idea. Intentions or not, he helped build the machine that helped end everything that Leia knew and loved. When she glanced her way, she saw that Leia didn’t look angry or resentful.

“We all deserved better, didn’t we?” she said.

Jyn lifted her glass to her lips to take a long drink. The alcohol burned its way down her throat but she didn’t even wince.

“We did,” she finally answered.

With a slight upturn of her lips, Leia reached her hand out.

“It’s nice to meet you, Jyn Erso,” she said boldly, lifting her chin slightly.

Taking her hand, she shook it slowly.

“You too,” Jyn told her.

"Luke told me that I would like you. He was right,” Leia said.

Jyn didn’t really know what to say to that. As they sat there drinking, she was hit the realization that she could very comfortably be friends with Leia. It was strange and not at all unwelcome, though it was uncharted territory for her. She would just have to see where it led.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope that you like it! Please let me know what you think!
> 
> tumblr - historicbellamyblake


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